Audit: Boise VA Center sees most within 30 days

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BOISE, Idaho (AP) - A new audit from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs shows that most Idaho veterans receiving care at the Boise VA Medical Center wait less than a month for their first appointment. But the average wait time for those who need to see a specialist is 52 days.

The wide-ranging audit, released Monday, is the first nationwide look at the VA network after an outcry arose over long wait times and cover-ups at the Phoenix VA center.

In Boise, about 90 percent of the more than 15,000 veterans awaiting appointments at the Boise center are scheduled within a month. That's less than the national average of 96 percent.

Established Boise patients are seen more quickly, averaging a 7-day wait for specialists and about a day for primary care and mental health doctors.